The Rangers of Kyoshi
by Bonnie Charlie
Summary: After the end of Book 2, Aang and the team decide to go to Kyoshi, which they hope is safe. There, they meet the Rangers of Kyoshi, Earthbending defenders of the land. But is everything as it seems? M for content


Disclaimer: I own nothing excpet Ta-lor and Kudisu. Even Vol-mor belongs to someone else

A/N: about the names. Ta-lorTaylor Ross (my wizard slayer). Vol-morVoldemort (J.K. Rowling) KudisuChrisPongu. Yay! Read

* * *

"So the Earth kingdom has fallen. It's time to pave the way for assault then." The tall man said. He spoke to no one in particular, even though there were four men attending him. He turned, and the bow men bowed to the ground.

"We just have to worry about the people of Kyoshi. Both the women and the men. They may not operate together, but they're deadly just the same. But they'll never stand up to the Renegades of Ozai!"

* * *

"So, what do we do now? The Fire kingdom has pretty much everything in it's grasp. Ba Sing Se, Omashu, you name it." Sokka said, reclining in Appa's saddle. The entire group was lying down or reclining, with the exception of Katara, who was cradling Aang. 

"Well…We can go to Kyoshi!" The Earth king said, jabbing his finger into the air.

"We don't know if it's even safe." Toph said, looking in his direction.

"Well, we could…fly over it! Yeah! If it's safe, we'll land, and if it's not, we'll keep going!" The king said, still jabbing.

"Actually, that's not a bad idea. Suki and the other warriors should be there." Sokka said, a little excited at the prospect of seeing the female fighter again.

"But the Kyoshi warriors were guarding the ferry to Ba Sing Se. They may not be at Kyoshi." Katara said, looking up.

"Oh. Well, still worth a shot." Sokka said, a little disappointed.

"Why not? Even without Suki, it'll be safe, right? Appa, go to Kyoshi!" Katara said, again bending over Aang. _Why won't you wake up?_ she asked Aang.

_

* * *

Aang watched as the fire nation warrior charged, his sword held high, as Katara stepped in front of him. He tried to scream for her to move, but his mouth would not work. Then, as the sword came down, the warrior was blocked by a new body, a sword of it's own raised to defend. Aang watched as the new swordsman parried the blow, and then swept in low for a strike. The fire soldier saw the move, moving slowly, and blocked it easily. He did not see, however, the second, shorter sword moving into his side. The fire soldier dropped, and the new soldier turned, holding both his swords low. Words were said from and to Katara, but Aang couldn't hear what was said. Katara moved, and the new fighter sheathed his swords, and approached Aang. _

Aang awoke with a start. He glanced around for the combatants, but found nothing. Instead, he saw just the inside of a room, sparsely furnished. He lay on a futon on the floor, and he noticed a bowl of rice and a cup of tea was set out. He wolfed both down, and decided to go out. Before he could, Katara and Momo burst into the door.

"Aang! You're alright! The doctor said he would do what he could, and he did it! Oh, I'm so happy to see you awake!" She screamed, crushing him in a massive hug.

"I'm happy to see you too. What happened?" he managed to choke out.

"I believe I can answer that." A man's voice said. He stepped into the doorway, and simply from the two swords at his side and his silouhette, Aang knew he was the man that had come to their rescue.

"I am Kudisu Miyazaki. I am one of the Rangers of Kyoshi. I came upon your group while on patrol. You're lucky I showed up when I did." He said, bowing low. Aang nodded, and asked for the full story. Katara jumped in, and took over.

"Well, after we escaped from Ba Sing Se, we decided to go to Kyoshi, and see if anyone was there that could help us. On our way there, we had to stop and rest. When we did, however, there was a group of Fire Nation soldiers. They attacked us, and we did our best. Sokka and Toph were fighting when I saw that a Fire Nation soldier was charging at you. I didn't have enough time to bend, so I jumped in front of you. Luckily for both us, Kudisu had been watching from a tree, and jumped in front of the soldier, and then…" At this point, Katara stopped, looking sad.

"I killed him. Sokka said that none of you have ever killed before. It's a good thing, though. I don't think I'll ever be able to atone for the deaths at my hands." Kudisu said. "Anyways, I carried you here, while the rest of your group went with the bison up to our fortress."

"Wait, fortress? This is Kyoshi. I didn't think you had any fortresses." Aang said.

"No, not in Kyoshi. It's in the mountains. You would have to be a Ranger or a Warrior of Kyoshi to know about it, and either an Earthbender or an Airbender to get there. The Rangers are the Earthbenders of Kyoshi."

"I thought that no one in Kyoshi could bend, though." Katara said, looking back at Kudisu.

"That's right. But the Rangers live outside of Kyoshi. Anytime a male Earthbender is born in Kyoshi, He's sent to live with the Rangers. If it's female, they go off to be nuns." Kudisu responded. Abruptly, he laughed. "Never seen a group of nuns that could beat a Ranger, except for those Kyoshi women."

"Speaking of women, where are the Warriors of Kyoshi? Did they make it back? Sokka's been dying to find Suki." Katara said.

The laughter in Kudisu's face died, and he said gravely "The Kyoshi Warriors have not made it back, as far as we know. As for Suki, tell your brother to forget her." He said, as he got up to leave.

"Why? She's not…dead, is she?" Aang asked, concerned. Kudisu looked back, and said sharply,

"No. But tell him to forget her anyways." With that, he left Aang and Katara to look at each other, confused.

* * *

They walked out of the house to find Toph and Sokka talking to a group of men. All of them had armor that looked similar to the Kyoshi warriors, but instead of fans, they had two swords at their hip. Also, rather than the ornate headpieces, they had helmets with crescent moons topping them. 

"Aang! You're alright! Gosh, you have no clue how worried Katara has been about you! She's been all 'Aang needs food' and 'Aang needs water' and 'Aang needs a soft pillow' and" Sokka stopped talking abruptly as Toph clamped her hand over his mouth.

"Good ta see ya, Twinkle Toes," She said simply.

"Hello everyone. Is everyone good?" Aang asked. His friends nodded, while the Rangers simply bowed. "Where's the Earth King? And Bosco?"

"They went on to the fortress. We stayed to make sure you were alright. Now, if you're all ready, these fine men will take us to Sama Heika, the last known bastion of Earthbender resistance!" Toph replied happily.

"Big words for a little kid," Sokka said grumpily. He received a smack on the head for his brightness, and away they went.

"Wait, what about Kudisu?" Aang asked one of the Rangers.

"Him? Oh, don't worry about him, he's as tough as the steel of his swords." The man replied.

"And just as sharp, too!" one of his comrades said, making all of the Rangers laugh.

* * *

"So this is Sama Heika. I've heard of it, but never that it was on Kyoshi." Toph said as the group made it's way through the small street. Children ran past them playing, while adults huddled in lean-tos and huts. A pair of boys ran right into the path of the group, waving wooden swords and screaming. 

"I'll get you Ta-lor! You have beaten me for the last time! Now, it's my turn!" one of them yelled, brandishing his stick.

"Nuh-uh, Vol-mor! I'll beat you again and again and again, until you go cry to your mommy!" the other yelled, dancing away.

"No, it's my turn! My turn!" the first wailed, throwing his blade down. His cries drew his parents, who whisked him away.

"What was that all about?" Aang asked.

"Oh, the boys were just playing. The Legend of Ta-lor and Vol-mor is one of our best. Ta-lor was a great hero, a mighty Earthbender that fought with two swords. Vol-mor was an evil Firebender, although he didn't use a blade in the stories. It also changes about who can bend what, along with the times. Last time, it was switched around. And just like the Kyoshi warriors have Avatar Kyoshi, we have Ta-lor. And like they have her gear, we have his. In great times of need, one warrior will pick up Ta-lor's blades and armor, and he will save us all. We're still waiting." the soldier said. Then, without another word, he led them to the room in the fortress that they would be staying in. The Earth King and Bosco were already there, and both welcomed them warmly. The gaurds said goodbye, after telling them that they would have two Rangers on the doors at all times. "Just to be safe." The men said. The group sat and had dinner, and then tried to decide what to do.

"Well, we need to do something before the eclipse. Or, at least get into position. Maybe, if we could get into the Fire Nation palace on that day, we could capture the Fire Lord. But how could we get there?" Sokka said, musing.

"Can you guys turn invisible?" The Earth King asked. Everyone stared at him, and as one, said "You're staying here." He looked at them sadly.

"Where it's safe." Katara said. He dejectedly agreed, and they all bedded down for the night.

* * *

The group awoke to the sounds of yelling. 

"What do you mean, forget her? I can't forget her! I love her!" Sokka yelled.

"You can't love her! She's not yours to love! No one here will love her! And you best remember that, before I have to beat it into your head!" came the voice of Kudisu, obviously angry. Aang, Katara, and Toph all craned their heads out to see what was happening.

"You talk like you own her!" Sokka roared back.

"Maybe I do! Maybe I've owned her before you even came here! Maybe I've owned her since she was born!" Kudisu yelled, his hand on his sword.

"Boys! Stop it now! You're like the little kids from yesterday!" Katara yelled. Kudisu looked confused, but Sokka bowed his head. "Now, what is this all about." Just as the words left her mouth, they both started yelling, pointing fingers. "Sokka" she said, finally.  
"He says that I should forget Suki, forget loving her, because he owns her," he said in a huff. Katara turned to Kudisu.

"I do. I'm the only one here who has the right to love her, because I've been with her her entire life. My men will support me," He said, shrugging. Katara looked at them both.

"You do realize what's just happened, right. You're both fighting over a woman you both love," she said. Both Katara and Toph sighed longlingly, while Aang simply looked back and forth.

"What! You…you think I love Suki the way he does! No! I love her because…well, I know her better! He loves her because he thinks she's cute!" Kudisu roared again, his face a mask of pure rage.

"I beg your pardon! Yeah she's cute, but she's smart, she can take care of herself, she's perfect!" Sokka said. They both leaned towards each other, snarling. Aang studied the two for minute, and suddenly yelled "Ah-ha!"

"What!" Kudisu and Sokka turned on Aang, ignoring the dreamy-eyed girls.

"Sokka, would you want Suki to be your wife?" Aang asked. Sokka blushed for a minute, and said "Well, I didn't think that far, but yeah."

"And Kudisu, would you?" Aang asked, turning. All the Rangers that had gathered burst out laughing, while Kudisu blustered and only got redder.

"Of course not! Are you kidding! That's disgusting!" he yelled.

"Oh, see, see! You DON'T love Suki! You just don't want me to love her!" Sokka said triumphantly.

"Of course I don't! What kind of big brother wants to see his little sister married!" Kudisu shouted back. Everyone stopped, except for the Rangers, who only laughed harder.

"Wait…you mean, you're Suki's…brother?" Katara asked, jolted awakefrom her fantasies. The soldiers laughed harder, Aang's grin widened, Kudisu's frown deepened, and Sokka's head burst with confusion.

"So, when you said you owned her…" He started.

"I've taken care of Suki since she was a little girl. Our father left to fight the Fire Nation, and our mother died in childbirth. I trained Suki in combat, and I've made sure that no man, either from the village or otherwise, would ever think of doing anything to my baby sister," he finished.

"Oh, my head," Sokka said.

"I figured it out by the color of their eyes. They both have blue eyes. That, and the fact that there's a picture of the two them in his helmet," Aang said. Everyone stared at him, as Kudisu furiously checked his helmet. "No one was supposed to see that," he mumbled.

* * *

The rest of the day was spent talking about what to do. The Rangers agreed to help however they could. Sokka and Kudisu addressed each other formally, and stuck to battle tactics. For the most part, everything was a bustle. In his spare time, Aang trained with some of the younger Rangers in Earthbending. One day, however, he was trained, not in bending, but weapons. 

"You're the Avatar, right? You should be able to fight in any way, even when you're not bending. So, you have to defeat me. I'll use my swords. You can use whatever you want." Kudisu said, holding a pair of wooden swords.

"I'll use my staff," Aang said, running to get it. When he came back, Kudisu was looking at him with a smile.

"Tell you what. If you win, I'll teach you a little secret. If I win, You have to help me with something, deal?" He said. Aang looked at him, and said simply, "deal".

Thus began the sparring. At first, Kudisu would always win, and Aang would end up doing various chores that seemed inconsequential, like washing the fences in circles "circles, circles, Aang! Wipe in circles!" As time went on, Kudisu started to tell Aang to think of his chores. This served to confuse Aang, but he began to understand. Using a circular motion, he could parry a stab, turning it, and throwing the blade off course. With an up-and-down motion, like painting a wall, he could hook under a blade to get around the guard. And all the muscles that the manual labor had given him paid off, allowing him to use his strength with the staff. Finally, one day, Kudisu slipped, and Aang brought the staff crashing onto his head. Laughing, Kudisu picked himself up, and bowed.

"Very good Aang! Very good! Now, it's time I kept my part of the bargain. I'm going to teach you how to bend something very special," he said, turning his back.

"Metal? Toph told me how she can bend metal," Aang said, eager.

"No, I can't bend metal," Kudisu said, turning around. "But I can bend this."

All of a sudden, he leapt, executing a spinning kick. As Aang watched, he saw sparks of electricity fly from the foot.

"I'm a Firebender, Aang. Suki and I grew up in the Fire Nation. I brought us here when she was three. We were running from Fire Lord Ozai. We came here, and I offered to protect this village as best I could. I've been doing it for years now," He said.

Aang looked down, and then looked back up.

"So, You can teach me how to bend electricity?" he asked. Kudisu smiled, and nodded.

"One condition. You don't tell anyone. No one here knows that I'm a Firebender, except for Oyajii and the Rangers. And please don't tell Suki. Let her think that her parents were Kyoshi. Let her think she's Kyoshi. I couldn't live if she found out that we were fighting our own people," Kudisu bowed low, beseeching Aang.

"Sure. Where do we start?" he said, smiling. This time, he'd learn to Firebend the right way.

* * *

A/N: Review!


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